Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Hire Services

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the effect of connecting DVLA driver records with Department for Work and Pensions records on the ability of transgender people to hire vehicles.

Andrew Jones: No specific assessment has been made. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s records are not connected to those of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, if drivers wish to access their own information and share it with car hire companies using the online "View Driving Licence" service, they must first verify their identity. To do this, the DVLA provides very limited information to DWP, including National Insurance number. These details are only shared with the explicit consent of the person using the service and gender information is not included. This is an instantaneous and fully automated process and there is no manual accessing of individual DWP records. The DVLA receives no information from DWP other than yes/no confirmation of the validity of the national insurance number provided by the driver or a notification if the driver is deceased.  Anyone who cannot use the online service to generate the code which allows them to share their driving licence information with third parties can telephone the DVLA who will generate a code for them. The individual driver can use this code to share their information with car hire companies if they choose to do so.

Shipping: Crew

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the Maritime and Coastguard Agency changed the safe manning certificate for merchant ships on the UK Registry in each year since 1998.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not have the figures for amendments to Safe Manning Documents requested dating back to 1998. However, the following figures are available from 2010 relating to all changes.   2010 – 94 2011 – 67 2012 – 68 2013 – 52 2014 – 139 2015 – 49 (to date)   The vast majority of these changes have been changes to names of ships or companies. A small number relate to changes in engine power or crew numbers.

Heathrow Airport

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work his Department is giving to the (a) public funding requirements of and (b) potential state aid issues related to a new runway at Heathrow airport.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report, including its examination of the costs and financing of the schemes, before taking any decisions on next steps.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Torture

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the post-2015 strategy for the prevention of torture.

Mr David Lidington: This Government believes torture is always wrong. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to work with partners and allies to end torture worldwide, we will continue to put the prevention of torture at the heart of our human rights work, as set out in the FCO Strategy for the Prevention of Torture 2011-2015. The FCO is funding projects worth over £700,000 this financial year, focused on practical initiatives to stop torture.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will propose a no-fly zone over Syria at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In response to the crisis in Syria, the UK will be pressing at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session for progress on a political settlement, protection of civilians and the need to increase humanitarian aid.

Mazen Darwish

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the government of Syria on the detention of Mazen Darwish by the Syrian air force intelligence unit.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Embassy in Damascus closed in 2012 and except for specific consular cases the UK does not have routine official contact with the Syrian government. However, the UK has consistently called in public for the release of human rights defenders detained by the Assad regime.On 10 August the UK Special Representative for Syria, Gareth Bayley, welcomed the release of Mazen Darwish from prison. However, security forces arbitrarily arrest or continue to detain thousands which include peaceful activists, human rights defenders, media and humanitarian workers, women and children, subjecting some to enforced disappearance and others to prolonged detention or unfair trials. In addition the security forces systematically torture and mistreat detainees with impunity; thousands of detainees reportedly die due to torture or harsh conditions.The UK, along with international partners, remains committed to ensuring the perpetrators are held to account. We are working with a range of non-governmental organisation’s to ensure that evidence of torture and mistreatment is effectively collected to accurately record crimes that are being committed so that perpetrators can be prosecuted in the future.

Middle East: Refugees

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) Qatar on receiving Syrian refugees in those countries.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK actively engages with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, on humanitarian and development assistance, and the Gulf States continue to contribute generously to humanitarian support for the Syria crisis.The Gulf States are not signatories to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, and there is no legal refugee status in these countries. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are living in Gulf States as migrant workers or on visitors’ visas.

Shaker Aamer

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the reasons that Shaker Aamer has not been released from Guantanamo Bay.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government continues actively to engage the US Government to secure Shaker Aamer’s release. No decision has yet been made.Given the need to respect the confidentiality of the process, we cannot provide a running commentary on conversations with the US government.

Syria: Military Intervention

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the UN's response to the letter from the UK Permanent Representative to the UN sent on 7 September on recent action taken in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Matthew Rycroft, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN wrote to the President of the Security Council on 7 September. This was circulated to UNSC members and published as a document of the Security Council with reference S/2015/688. As is normal in these circumstances, there will be no response.

Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September to Question 8243, what recent representations his Department has received from officials in the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq on a strategy for tackling ISIL; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As part of our support to the Government of Iraq, the UK is working closely with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to combat ISIL.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to the KRG Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, in April. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Oliver Letwin), visited Erbil from 30-31 August, where he met KRG President, Masoud Barzani.We are in regular contact with officials of the KRG in this regard and discuss our strategy via a variety of diplomatic, military and humanitarian channels.The Government has a robust strategy for defeating ISIL and is playing a key role in the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in Iraq: we are taking military action, supporting inclusive and credible governance, discrediting ISIL’s poisonous ideology, cutting off its finances, tackling foreign terrorist fighters and helping its victims rebuild their lives, including those affected by sexual violence.

Yemen: Politics and Government

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government of Yemen and the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition have made military gains in recent weeks against the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Saleh. We hope this will help build a base for the future return of the legitimate Yemeni Government. A political solution is the best way to achieve long-term stability in Yemen, and we remain fully and actively supportive of the UN’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict and resumption of an inclusive political process. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with 80 per cent of the population in need of assistance. The Department for International Development has allocated £55 million, through UN agencies and humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisations, to support Yemenis affected by the crisis. The risk of terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL-Yemen, exploiting the instability is also a major concern. We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat.

Ethiopia: Ethnic Groups

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on oppression of the Amahara people in Ethiopia.

Grant Shapps: We have not received any recent reports with regards to possible oppression of the Amhara people in Ethiopia. The UK Government takes seriously all allegations of human rights abuses. Whenever credible allegations of human rights infringements are brought to our attention we raise them with the relevant authorities.

EU Law

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4126, how many times the procedure provided for in the Council Decision of 29 March 1994 have been invoked; what the concerns of the member states that invoked the procedure were in each such case; and how those concerns were met in the final decision taken in each such case.

Mr David Lidington: The Council Decision of 29 March 1994, also known as the Ioannina Compromise, was superseded by the Treaty of Nice, and subsequently by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. From 2014, a new version of the Ioannina Compromise took effect. This allows a group of Member States short of a blocking minority to request a deferral of decisions they do not agree with, within a reasonable timeframe. The Government does not maintain a central record of when the provision has been invoked or for what reason.

UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what planning the Government has undertaken on the steps necessary for the UK to withdraw from the EU in the event that the outcome of the EU referendum is a vote to leave.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) is confident of achieving this but has said that if we do not achieve the necessary reforms, he rules nothing out.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many hours his Department spent on processing freedom of information requests in each of the last 24 months.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold data on the number of hours spent processing Freedom of Information requests.

Cyprus: Property

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further discussions he plans to have with his Cypriot counterpart on the misselling of mortgages by Alpha Panareti; and when those discussions will take place.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I have raised property issues experienced by British nationals with the Cypriot Foreign Minister, Ioannis Kasoulides. The Foreign Secretary raised property issues with Mr Kasoulides whilst in Cyprus on 17 July 2015 and I raised the subject with Mr Kasoulides in London on 12 March. We will continue to raise property issues at appropriate times both at official and Ministerial level.

Northern Ireland Office

Kincora Children's Home

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on police officers transporting civil servants to the Kincora Boys' Home.

Mr Ben Wallace: None.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what date the review on the impact of tribunal fees announced by his Department in March 2015 was transferred to the Ministry of Justice; and for what reason that transfer took place.

Nick Boles: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for employment tribunal fees and the post-implementation review of the impact. The details of this review were announced on 11 June 2015 and it is expected to complete later this year. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills collated publically available information on employment tribunals and shared it with the Ministry of Justice in March 2015.

Slavery

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effects of the Deduction From Wages (Limitation) Regulations 2014 on employment law claims made by victims of modern slavery.

Nick Boles: The Department published an assessment of the impact of the Regulations on employers and workers in December 2014. This can be found at this linkhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3322/impacts

Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 8779 of 10 September 2015, how many employers have participated in HM Revenue and Custom's new national minimum wage campaign to date.

Nick Boles: The National Minimum Wage campaign launched on 29 July 2015. Information on the number of employers, workers covered and total arrears identified through the campaign will be made available when details for each voluntary disclosure have been finalised.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department is providing to the least developed countries to tackle climate change and its effects.

Grant Shapps: DFID is committed to supporting Climate Smart Development which tackles climate change and reduces poverty in developing countries. Our programmes aim to increase the ability of poor people to cope with the impacts of climate-related shocks, including droughts, floods and storms, and to build their resilience to future changes in climate. The International Climate Fund (ICF) is the UK Government’s vehicle for delivering climate finance assistance and other forms of support, such as technical assistance. Through the ICF the UK government is providing £3.87bn in support between 2011/12 and 2015/16.

Overseas Aid: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure funding disbursed by her Department does not contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Grant Shapps: DFID is committed to supporting Climate Smart Development which tackles climate change and reduces poverty. This approach focuses on building the resilience of people in developing countries to the impacts of climate change, supporting economic development through low carbon growth, and promoting good governance of natural resources. A key part of this approach is to ensure that DFID programmes help address climate change, including reducing emissions.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Closures

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed court closures on access to justice for low income families.

Mr Shailesh Vara: No decision has been taken to close any court. We will consider all identified impacts once the current consultation closes and all responses have been fully analysed.

Courts

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what statistics his Department holds on usage of (a) magistrates and (b) civil courts; and if he will place such statistics in the Library.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I have answered the Hon Member’s question about magistrates’ courts in PQ9762.The average utilisation figures for civil courts in England and Wales are:  2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15England and Wales Civil Court average 49%70%66%54%37%  Our courts are under-used. The reform of the courts and tribunals service is an opportunity to create a modern, more user-focused and efficient service. I will place a copy of these statistics in the Library.

Courts: Buildings

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to sell former court buildings; and to what purpose he plans to apply monies raised from such sales.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following completion of our consultation on the courts estate, consideration will be given as to the best way to dispose of the court to maximise value for money for the tax payer. Capital receipts from the sale of any surplus assets would be reinvested into HM Courts & Tribunals Service to help create a more modern, efficient and user-focused courts system.

Courts: Technology

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how he plans to make greater use of video conferencing and other technology in reforming the court system; and what assessment he has made of the effect of greater use of such technology on the delivery of local justice.

Mr Shailesh Vara: To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services, including the use of other civic buildings and extending video conferencing facilities. This will further reduce the need for vulnerable victims and witnesses to travel to attend court. We will consider all identified impacts on the delivery of justice once the consultation closes and all responses have been fully analysed.

Courts: Buildings

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has for the use of court buildings which may be closed under current proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following completion of our consultation on the courts estate, consideration will be given as to the best way to dispose of the court to maximise value for money for the tax payer. Capital receipts from the sale of any surplus assets would be reinvested into HM Courts & Tribunals Service to help create a more modern, efficient and user-focused courts system.

Prisons: Employment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are undergoing work placements and schemes within prison whilst awaiting deportation.

Andrew Selous: The information requested is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the complainant and first witness in the recent prosecution of Councillor Gurpai Virdi is subject to a court order of anonymity.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 provides for lifetime anonymity for complainants in a wide range of sexual offences without the necessity of a court order. That provision applies in the case involving the recent prosecution of Councillor Gurpal Virdi.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether legal advice on the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle against Reyaad Khan included consideration of the legal basis of the killing of people travelling with or in the vicinity of that person in the course of that military action.

Michael Fallon: The Attorney General's advice remains confidential but he advised that the action we took would be lawful. The UK's Armed Forces operate in accordance with domestic and international law.

Counter-terrorism

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria he uses to determine the viability of strikes against terrorist targets in states against whom the UK is not at war; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The military action in Raqqa on 21 August 2015 was in response to armed attacks being planned and directed against the UK and was the only feasible way of disrupting them.

Defence: Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure it meets the NATO defence spending target for 2015.

Michael Fallon: NATO has published data on allies' defence spending which shows that the UK is estimated to spend 2.1% of its Gross Domestic Product on defence during financial year 2015-16. This data can be found in the document at the following link:http://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2015_06/20150622_PR_CP_2015_093-v2.pdf

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will increase the frequency of the publication of statistics on sanctions for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants.

Priti Patel: We release them every 3 months. The Department has no plans to increase the frequency of the publication of statistics on sanctions for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants.

Social Security Benefits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page two of the Impact Assessment for the Benefit Cap published on 20 July 2015, how many and what proportion of those affected by the lower cap on the day of its introduction will experience a cash loss.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available. This is because, as set out in the Impact Assessment of the behavioural effects of the cap; all households who move into work will be unaffected by the changes. Additionally, for many people who will be affected by the cap, these reductions are notional changes in entitlement rather than actual cash losses i.e. those who become capped once the policy is in place will not see a reduction in their benefit, just a lower maximum limit on the benefit they would otherwise have been entitled to.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

National Lottery: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the sum of money received was from the National Lottery Good Causes programme in Scotland for use in funding the 2012 London Olympics.

Mr Edward Vaizey: All countries of the UK contributed to the funding of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The initial £410m National Lottery contribution, outlined in the Games bid, was supplemented with a further £675m borrowed as part of the increased Olympic budget. The total transfer from the National Lottery Distribution Fund was £1,085m.  An estimated £114m (taken from across both the £410m and £675m amounts) was the share given by Lottery programmes in Scotland. This includes amounts transferred from distributors operating wholly in Scotland, and notional amounts allocated to Scotland by UK-wide distributors.

National Lottery: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to reimburse the National Lottery Good Causes programme in Scotland for the sum of money used from that programme for use in funding the 2012 London Olympics.

Tracey Crouch: There is a robust commitment in place to pay back £675m to the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF). This funding was borrowed from the Fund in addition to the original contribution of £410m. It is expected that the NLDF will start to receive funds from the early 2020s through land development and sales in the Olympic Park. Scottish good causes will benefit from their portion of this reimbursed funding.

National Lottery: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what is the sum of money that has so far been reimbursed to the National Lottery Good Causes programme in Scotland for money used from that programme for funding the 2012 London Olympics.

Tracey Crouch: Repayment of the additional £675m borrowed from the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) will start from the early 2020s. In addition to this repayment, £69m was transferred to the NLDF from The Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) when it closed in January 2015, representing a share of the income from the sale of the Olympic Village. This adds to the £79 million (from savings in the Olympic Programme) which was transferred from the OLDF to the NLDF in July 2014. The OLDF funds are allocated in the usual proportions, as set out in legislation.

National Lottery: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the monies from National Lottery ticket sales goes to the National Lottery Good Causes programme in Scotland.

Tracey Crouch: Lottery funding shares are set out in legislation. Currently health, education, environment and charitable causes are apportioned 40%, Sport 20%, Arts 20% and Heritage 20% across the UK. Creative Scotland received 1.78% and sportscotland received 1.62% of overall lottery funding in 2014/15. In addition, Scottish good causes receive funding from the four UK-wide distributors: British Film Institute, UK Sport, Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund.

Home Office

Illegal Immigrants: France

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of additional (a) security staff and (b) sniffer dogs deployed at Calais since 1 June 2015.

James Brokenshire: The costs of additional security staff and sniffer dogs in June, July and August 2015 were:   JuneJulyAugustSecurity staff£57,000£94,000£121,000Sniffer dogs£45,000£90,000£207,000TOTAL£342,000£272,000£614,000

Illegal Immigrants: Deportation

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants have been forcibly deported in the last three years for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows the published National Statistics for the number of illegal migrants removed in the last three years for which complete data is available. Most immigration offenders are removed under administrative or illegal entry powers from the UK . Deportations are a specific subset of removals which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The deportation order prohibits the person returning to the UK until such time as it may be revoked. We have taken the question as meaning all enforced removals.Year endingTotalJune 201314,159June 201412,539June 201512,609Grand Total39,307These figures do not include those who left the UK voluntarily from within the immigration detention estate as part of our ongoing promotion of voluntary returns options, for example those who departed on the Assisted Voluntary Returns (AVR) Scheme whilst in detention, which was available to detainees up to April 2014, or those who choose to buy their own ticket once the subject of enforcement action.By way of context, these figures correspond over the same period with a rise in the number of departures facilitated by the Home Office without the use of detention, which has been realised by increasing contact with people who are in the UK unlawfully and limiting their access to services for which they are not entitled.

Refugees: Syria

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of refugees that the UK will accept from Syria in the next 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Prime Minister has announced the expansion of the Government's Syrian Vulnerable Person Scheme, which is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota in a particular year. We expect to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. As the expanded scheme is based on need and reliant on the UNHCR and other partners to deliver, it is not possible or appropriate to set any sort of annual target, but we are clear that we must help people as soon as possible as the Home Secretary updated the House on 16 September.In addition to the Scheme, since the crisis in Syria began in 2011 we have granted asylum or other forms of leave to almost 5,000 Syrian nationals and dependants through normal asylum procedures. The UK has a proud history of offering asylum to those who need it most; we will continue to carefully consider all asylum applications made in the UK on their individual merits to ensure we provide protection where it is really needed.

Taxis: Vetting

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on reducing the time taken for disclosure checks for taxi drivers in London.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was provided to each police force by the Disclosure and Barring Service in each of the last two financial years.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that vacancies in the Metropolitan Police Service's Disclosure Unit are filled.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Karen Bradley: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides the Home Office with monthly updates on performance. Latest figures (relating to July 2015) show that the average processing time for disclosure applications was 14.3 days. The DBS operates to a target to issue 95% of disclosure certificates within 56 days (8 weeks) and in July 95.2% were issued within this time.DBS funding for police disclosure units in 2013-14 and 2014-15 is set out in the attached table. Decisions on the operational deployment of resources, including vacancy filling, are matters for Chief Constables in association with Police and Crime Commissioners.The DBS is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to help reduce the time taken to process disclosure checks for all applicants including taxi drivers in London. The MPS has established a Gold Group, which includes DBS representation, to develop and implement a plan to improve MPS disclosure turnaround times.

Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre: Per Capita Costs

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average daily cost is of detaining a person at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre.

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average daily cost is of detaining an individual at Dungavel detention centre.

James Brokenshire: It is not possible to provide details of the cost of a specific Immigration Removal Centre as the information is commercially sensitive, and if it were released, could compromise the Government’s ability to continue to drive down costs on behalf of the taxpayer. Nationally, the average cost per day to hold an individual in immigration detention was £91.61 in the year ending June 2015.

Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of alleged female genital mutilation were investigated by each police force in England on 22 July 2015.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not routinely collect information on the number of police investigations into female genital mutilation (FGM). The new mandatory reporting duty for FGM, introduced through the Serious Crime Act 2015, is due to commence in October this year and will lead to a greater number of cases being referred to the police. However, indicative information provided to the Home Office FGM Unit shows that the level of reporting of this crime to police is increasing. For example, the Metropolitan Police Service received 81 reports of suspected FGM in 2013/14, compared to 25 in 2011/12. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is currently undertaking an inspection into ‘honour’ based violence, including FGM, which will help to build a better picture of the police response.

Members: Correspondence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the letter to her on the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme dated 28 July 2015 from the hon. Member for Hammersmith.

James Brokenshire: I have now replied to the Member for Hammersmith.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of officials that will be employed by the UK Border Agency in each of the next five years.

James Brokenshire: The UK Border Agency was abolished in March 2013. The work of the UK Border Agency is now undertaken by the UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement Directorates of the Home Department.The Department is currently developing its plans as part of the current Spending Review; this includes setting out workforce forecasts and savings across the Spending Review period. It is not possible to provide a robust estimate of the numbers of officials to be employed in future years until the Spending Review settlements have been agreed.

Home Office: Carbon Emissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments in respect of carbon offsetting were made in each such year.

Karen Bradley: The Department has spent the following on carbon offsetting in the last three years:2012-132013-142014-15£3,118£1,537£6,7761Note 1: Includes back payment for an earlier year undercharged.  The Department purchases Certified Emissions Reduction (CER) credits through regular e-auctions run by Crown Commercial Service.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials are employed by the UK Border Agency; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The UK Border Agency was abolished in March 2013. The work of the UK Border Agency is now undertaken by the UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement Directorates of the Home Department. The number of officials employed across these directorates as at 31 July 2015 is at Table A. Table A: Number of officials employed by the former UK Border Agency as at 31st July 20151Border ForceImmigration EnforcementVisas & ImmigrationGrand TotalCivil Servants Paid7,785.904,851.675,789.8218,427.38Civil Servants Unpaid258.58210.93259.50729.01Non Civil Servants37.29143.62539.66720.57Grand Total8,081.765,206.226,588.9719,876.95  1 The United Kingdom Border Agency ceased to be an Executive Agency on 1st April 2013. UKBA moved into the core Home Office, and formed two new directorates:  (Immigration Enforcement) and United Kingdom Visas and Immigration). Border Force was also a part of the UK Border Agency but it became a directorate of the Home Office on 1st March 2012. Border Force was also a part of the UK Border Agency but it became a directorate of the Home Office on 1st March 2012. Data Source: Data View - The Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.Period Covered: Data is provided as at 31st July 2015   Extraction Date: 1st August 2015Organisational Coverage: Figures are for Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas and Immigration. Employee Coverage: Data is based on Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) of all paid civil servants, unpaid civil servants and non civil servants who were substituting in civil servant roles as at 31st July 2015.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the French government on the provision of security at the Port of Calais.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis.The UK and French Governments have been working closely together to address the situation in Northern France. The joint declaration signed by the Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister on 20 August builds on the earlier declaration of September 2014 and cements a comprehensive programme of work between our two countries. Additional French police – along with extra fencing, search dogs and other security measures provided by the UK – are bolstering security at the ports of Calais and Coquelles against clandestine activity.

Refugees: Syria

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the expanded criteria for the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme.

James Brokenshire: The scheme will continue to prioritise the most vulnerable: people requiring urgent medical treatment, survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk. We are discussing with the UNCHR and other partners the extent to which the current criteria should be extended to ensure that a greater number of people qualify for the scheme.

Refugees: EU Action

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from Heads of Government in other EU countries on the proposed European Resettlement Scheme for refugees.

James Brokenshire: The UK has been involved in many discussions with other Member states. That includes participation in EU Council of Ministers meetings, as well as bilateral discussions with other Member States. The Home Secretary will continue to discuss these matters with EU partners including at forthcoming Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings.

Educational Institutions: Bradford

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2015 to Question 6880, what the circumstances and reasons were for the suspension of the licence of Bradford College of Management; and what the circumstances and reasons were for the suspension and revocation of the licences of (a) Bradford Metropolitan College and (b) Bradford Regional College.

James Brokenshire: The colleges in question were suspended due to their sponsorship of students with questionable or invalid English language test certificates; and a poor level of compliance their with sponsorship duties. All of the colleges were given the opportunity to submit detailed representations against the suspension. Those that failed to address adequately the reasons for suspension subsequently had their sponsor licence revoked.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which external organisations officials in her Department have met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many meetings such officials have had with each such organisation.

James Brokenshire: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which external organisations she has met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many times she has met each such organisation.

James Brokenshire: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Home Office Ministers regularly meet a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.

Home Office: UK Membership of EU

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials in her Department are engaged in research into the effects of the UK leaving the EU.

James Brokenshire: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government’s priorities in Europe.

Immigration: Commonwealth Games 2014

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2015 to Question 5239, from what countries of origin people were (a) who applied for or (b) were granted (i) asylum or (ii) another form of leave to remain.

James Brokenshire: As previously stated, Her Majesty’s Government takes its commitments to its international obligations very seriously and asylum cases require special care. These obligations cannot permit the disclosure of information that could in turn make these individuals identifiable. This remains the position, and extends to the applications for other forms of leave. In view of the small number of individuals involved, disclosure of nationalities may lead to identification.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of illegal immigration from Calais into the UK.

James Brokenshire: The UK and French Governments have been working closely together to address the situation in Northern France. The Joint Declaration signed by the Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister on 20 August builds on the earlier declaration of September 2014 and cements a comprehensive programme of work between our two countries. Additional French police – along with extra fencing, search dogs and other security measures provided by the UK – are bolstering security at the ports of Calais and Coquelles against clandestine activity.The new Joint Declaration contains formalised arrangements on intelligence-sharing and prosecutions to target the organised immigration crime gangs and a new command and control centre in Calais where UK and French law enforcement agencies will co-ordinate operations. Other new measures include substantial further security and physical infrastructure improvements, extra private security personnel, around-the-clock searching, additional French mobile policing units and further joint work to return economic migrants to their home countries.In recognition that the pressure of immigration does not begin in Calais, the Declaration sets out support to frontline EU member states in ensuring fully functioning external borders and to crack down on the organised crime gangs smuggling people into Europe. A copy of the Declaration can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/455162/Joint_declaration_20_August_2015.pdf

Asylum

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum applications the Government expects to grant, not including the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is unable to provide future predictions on the number of asylum claims it is expected to grant for 2015 and 2016, as every claim is considered on its individual merits.

Asylum: Tameside

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers have been moved to the Tameside local authority area in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on those asylum seekers who are in receipt of section 95 support. The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support are available broken down by Local Authority.As at the end of June 2015, there were 253 asylum seekers receiving Section 95 support from Tameside Local Authority. Similarly, as at the end of June 2014 there were 200 and as at the end of June 2013 there were 184 asylum seekers receiving Section 95 support from Tameside Local Authority.These figures exclude any asylum seekers who may be living in Tameside but are not receiving support, as figures are not held. These figures also exclude refugees (i.e. those who have been granted asylum) as these figures are not held.The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of section 95 support, broken down by Local Authority, are published on a quarterly basis by the Home Office in Table as_16_q of the Immigration Statistics release. The latest publication is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release .We do not disclose the details of where refugees are resettled upon their arrival in the UK under the Government resettlement schemes as this may undermine the privacy and recovery of this vulnerable group of people.

Asylum: Finance

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in each nation and region of the UK receive support under her Department's asylum support regulations in each Government-defined period in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Support may be provided under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute until their asylum claim is determined. Section 95 support can be provided as both accommodation and subsistence, or accommodation or subsistence only.The table below shows the number of asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support in each Local Authority and region of England and Wales as at the end of June in 2013, 2014 and 2015.The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of section 95 support, broken down by Local Authority, are published on a quarterly basis by the Home Office in Table as_16_q of the Immigration Statistics release .The latest publication (Immigration statistics, April to June 2015 ) is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015Table A: Asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support, by local authority, as at end of June 2013 to June 2015Local Authorityas at the end of June 2013as at the end of June 2014as at the end of June 2015Total21,42326,72030,457Aberdeen001Aberdeenshire100Adur023Allerdale000AlnwickzzzAmber Valley110Angus100Antrim000Ards000Argyll and Bute000Armagh000Arun000Ashfield001Ashford221Aylesbury Vale333Babergh222Ballymena000Ballymoney000Banbridge000Barking and Dagenham132140126Barnet1089084Barnsley236391394Barrow-in-Furness000Basildon044Basingstoke and Deane000Bassetlaw340Bath and North East Somerset001Bedford51212Belfast346465496Berwick-upon-TweedzzzBexley333323Birmingham9741,2691,400Blaby123Blackburn with Darwen249280299Blackpool045Blaenau Gwent000Blyth ValleyzzzBolsover000Bolton677755931Boston000Bournemouth026Bracknell Forest333Bradford183264556Braintree022Breckland011Brent106104107Brentwood000Bridgend064BridgnorthzzzBrighton and Hove242022Bristol224280278Broadland755Bromley212019Bromsgrove221Broxbourne1173Broxtowe1533Burnley036Bury254306381Caerphilly000Calderdale143167166Cambridge430Camden161421Cannock Chase044Canterbury433CaradonzzzCardiff9249761,041Carlisle000Carmarthenshire120CarrickzzzCarrickfergus000Castle MorpethzzzCastle Point444Castlereagh000Central Bedfordshire231Ceredigion000Charnwood030Chelmsford233Cheltenham200Cherwell022Cheshire East001Cheshire West and Chester010ChesterzzzChesterfield001Chester-le-StreetzzzChichester000Chiltern003Chorley000Christchurch000City of London110Clackmannanshire000Colchester555Coleraine000CongletonzzzConwy000Cookstown000Copeland000Corby510Cornwall001Cotswold000County Durham220Coventry400481506Craigavon000Craven000Crawley4513Crewe and NantwichzzzCroydon119153162Dacorum114Darlington002Dartford605Daventry000Denbighshire000Derby346479605Derbyshire Dales000Derry000DerwentsidezzzDoncaster156226220Dover100Down000Dudley144186226Dumfries and Galloway000Dundee101114Dungannon000DurhamzzzEaling133128168EasingtonzzzEast Ayrshire000East Cambridgeshire000East Devon000East Dorset000East Dunbartonshire000East Hampshire000East Hertfordshire100East Lindsey000East Lothian000East Northamptonshire000East Renfrewshire000East Riding of Yorkshire440East Staffordshire013Eastbourne211Eastleigh111Eden000Edinburgh81218Eilean Siar000Ellesmere Port and NestonzzzElmbridge111Enfield201183201Epping Forest81311Epsom and Ewell011Erewash141Exeter102Falkirk121Fareham000Fenland017Fermanagh000Fife022Flintshire000Forest Heath000Forest of Dean000Fylde000Gateshead141216261Gedling100Glasgow1,9652,4852,602Gloucester7089110Gosport110Gravesham330Great Yarmouth000Greenwich857783Guildford100Gwynedd333Hackney444338Halton002Hambleton000Hammersmith and Fulham241425Harborough000Haringey162147139Harlow613Harrogate000Harrow525069Hart000Hartlepool121122135Hastings536870Havant000Havering62625Herefordshire020Hertsmere174High Peak000Highland000Hillingdon135146154Hinckley and Bosworth111Horsham002Hounslow755878Huntingdonshire000Hyndburn333Inverclyde000Ipswich577064Isle of Anglesey000Isle of Wight000Isles of Scilly000Islington212534KennetzzzKensington and Chelsea111416KerrierzzzKettering011King's Lynn and West Norfolk000Kingston upon Hull157257261Kingston upon Thames253742Kirklees225287326Knowsley131Lambeth515743Lancaster100Larne000Leeds285472501Leicester503776851Lewes003Lewisham12612393Lichfield000Limavady000Lincoln301Lisburn110Liverpool1,1721,4661,417Luton314373MacclesfieldzzzMagherafelt000Maidstone221Maldon000Malvern Hills000Manchester648779934Mansfield002Medway435Melton000Mendip000Merthyr Tydfil010Merton545036Mid BedfordshirezzzMid Devon000Mid Suffolk001Mid Sussex850Middlesbrough706799746Midlothian000Milton Keynes161117Mole Valley000Monmouthshire000Moray000Moyle000Neath Port Talbot312New Forest000Newark and Sherwood000Newcastle upon Tyne327358546Newcastle-under-Lyme000Newham385382348Newport263391459Newry and Mourne000Newtownabbey000North Ayrshire000North CornwallzzzNorth Devon000North Dorset001North Down001North East Derbyshire000North East Lincolnshire001North Hertfordshire013North Kesteven001North Lanarkshire000North Lincolnshire000North Norfolk010North ShropshirezzzNorth Somerset000North Tyneside52100107North Warwickshire000North West Leicestershire000North WiltshirezzzNorthampton91612Northumberland010Norwich107115113Nottingham408598791Nuneaton and Bedworth112Oadby and Wigston034Oldham421539637Omagh010Orkney Islands000OswestryzzzOther and Unknown41153165Oxford81112Pembrokeshire000Pendle065PenwithzzzPerth and Kinross122Peterborough98131137Plymouth147222235Poole000Portsmouth98131128Powys001Preston44131Purbeck000Reading10914Redbridge190189180Redcar and Cleveland437Redditch015Reigate and Banstead010Renfrewshire012RestormelzzzRhondda Cynon Taf014Ribble Valley000Richmond upon Thames9814Richmondshire000Rochdale403615984Rochford002Rossendale000Rother001Rotherham392342334Rugby200Runnymede100Rushcliffe040Rushmoor000Rutland000Ryedale000Salford536533592SalisburyzzzSandwell359593695Scarborough000Scottish Borders000SedgefieldzzzSedgemoor000Sefton028Selby000Sevenoaks400Sheffield370550654Shepway102Shetland Islands000Shrewsbury and AtchamzzzShropshire000Slough173347Solihull385South Ayrshire012South BedfordshirezzzSouth Bucks000South Cambridgeshire023South Derbyshire000South Gloucestershire373854South Hams000South Holland000South Kesteven000South Lakeland000South Lanarkshire334South Norfolk010South Northamptonshire011South Oxfordshire003South Ribble000South ShropshirezzzSouth Somerset222South Staffordshire000South Tyneside373658Southampton908867Southend-on-Sea897Southwark646389Spelthorne045St. Albans088St. Edmundsbury000St. Helens025Stafford400Staffordshire Moorlands000Stevenage1093Stirling001Stockport83100115Stockton-on-Tees490579697Stoke-on-Trent452444625Strabane000Stratford-on-Avon000Stroud000Suffolk Coastal333Sunderland145167119Surrey Heath022Sutton61712Swale002Swansea363523773Swindon8390106Tameside184200253Tamworth010Tandridge100Taunton Deane001TeesdalezzzTeignbridge000Telford and Wrekin043Tendring000Test Valley000Tewkesbury016Thanet020The Vale of Glamorgan000Three Rivers111Thurrock163032Tonbridge and Malling000Torbay011Torfaen000Torridge222Tower Hamlets242424Trafford657991Tunbridge Wells000TynedalezzzUttlesford000Vale of White Horse77zVale Royal0z8Wakefield326082Walsall156215234Waltham Forest168188184Wandsworth595542WansbeckzzzWarrington102Warwick121Watford01315Waveney000Waverley002Wealden000Wear ValleyzzzWellingborough057Welwyn Hatfield354West Berkshire000West Devon000West Dorset000West Dunbartonshire000West Lancashire004West Lindsey111West Lothian020West Oxfordshire100West Somerset000West WiltshirezzzWestminster344943Weymouth and Portland000Wigan304448592Wiltshire303Winchester000Windsor and Maidenhead015Wirral326Woking000Wokingham501Wolverhampton402571645Worcester043Worthing130Wrexham405268Wychavon000Wycombe61835Wyre002Wyre Forest001York000z = Not applicable.   : = Not available.   1. The data include dependants in receipt of support.2. The data excludes unaccompanied asylum seeking children supported by Local Authorities.

EU Countries: Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the possibility of closing country borders within the EU to refugees.

James Brokenshire: The United Kingdomdoes not participate in the immigration and border aspects of the Schengen acquis and continues to operate border controls with other EU Member States. Schengen visas are not valid for entry to the UK. The UK has been a leading voice in recent cross-European efforts to understand and tackle the large flows of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean. That includes participation in European Council and other meetings, as well as bilaterally with key Member States.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes to immigration rules on nurse staffing levels in the independent and private sectors.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of recent changes to immigration rules on retention and recruitment of nurses.

James Brokenshire: Following advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, the Government introduced an annual limit on Tier 2, the skilled work route, in 2011. In 2012 the Government announced that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 migrants who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000.The Home Office published full impact assessments on these changes when the rules were laid before Parliament. The impact assessments are available on the gov.uk website as follows:Annual limit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-permanent-limit-tier-1-and-tier-2-impact-assessmentSettlement: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-affecting-employment-related-settlement-tier-5-and-overseas-domestic-workersUnder the annual limit, NHS trusts have been given more than 1,400 Tier 2 certificates of sponsorship for nurses since April this year but over 600 of the places allocated to them in April and May this year have been returned unused.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria are used by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to establish whether a licence holder is high risk.

Karen Bradley: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) have established Licensing Standards against which applicants and existing licence holders are assessed. They are all legal requirements to protect workers from poor treatment and exploitation and set out the conditions that must be met to obtain and hold a GLA licence.The Standards are published on the GLA website at:-http://www.gla.gov.uk/Guidance/Information-on-Licensing/Licencing-Standards/. They include treatment of workers, accommodation and working conditions among others. Any non-compliance with the Standards is treated very seriously and would bear on the risk a licence holder poses. In addition, the GLA receives intelligence from partner agencies, such as police forces, about businesses which would also be taken into account in assessing risk. The GLA can inspect businesses where there are concerns.

Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2015 to Question 6173, what the categories of statutory excuses established by employers are which result in no action notices or notification of no liability.

James Brokenshire: An employer is excused from liability for a civil penalty if they show that they have complied with the prescribed right to work checks. There are no categories of statutory excuse.The civil penalty regime and right to work checks are set out in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, secondary legislation and published statutory codes of practice and guidance.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority: Staff

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what changes are planned to the level of staffing in the Gangmasters Licensing Authority in the next 12 months.

Karen Bradley: There are no changes to staffing levels currently planned for the next 12 months. We are developing proposals to improve labour market enforcement involving the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and will consult on those in due course.

Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 6159, if she will establish a timeframe for ratification of the Protocol to the 2014 Forced Labour Convention.

Karen Bradley: The Government presented the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention to Parliament on 6 February 2015, where it remained for 21 sitting days to allow scrutiny by both Houses. The UK is already compliant with the measures set out in the protocol and the Government will seek to ratify it shortly.

Asylum

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 July 2015 HCWS83, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of safeguards within the Detained Fast Track procedure to protect vulnerable applicants.

James Brokenshire: Following the decision to suspend temporarily the Detained Fast Track (DFT), we are reviewing the system and the safeguarding mechanisms. As in the statement made to the House on 2 July, this work will be informed by the findings of the Stephen Shaw review which is due to report shortly. We will update Parliament on revised arrangements for recommencing DFT once they have been finalised.

Immigrants: Detainees

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people with a mental health disorder who were detained in immigration detention in the 12 months to June 2015.

James Brokenshire: Information on the number of people with a mental health disorder detained in the immigration detention estate is not recorded centrally. Providing this information from an examination of individual records would be at disproportionate cost.

Forced Marriage

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of suspected forced marriage have been reported by the forced marriage unit to the police for investigation and possible prosecution in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Karen Bradley: The UK is a world-leader in the fight to stamp out this brutal practice, with our Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leading efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad. In 2014, the FMU gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,267 cases. To provide a breakdown on the nature of the assistance provided, including referrals to the police, would incur a disproportionate cost.

English Language: Qualifications

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her Department decided to remove the Scottish Qualifications Authority's English for speakers of other languages examinations from her Department's list of recognised qualifications.

James Brokenshire: Following significant abuse in the English Language sector that was uncovered in 2014, a procurement exercise was undertaken to strengthen the arrangements for English language testing for immigration purposes. As part of the procurement, any test provider could have made a bid to be included on the list of Secure English language tests.In order to ensure that all English tests are administered to the same security standards, the procurement exercise included tests suitable for settlement and naturalisation purposes, the decision was taken to apply the SELT arrangements to settlement and naturalisation applications from November 2015.Trinity and the IELTS Consortium were the only test providers to meet these requirements.

Ministerial Committee for Syrian Refugees

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the minutes of the first meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Syrian refugees held on 11 September 2015; and how often that committee plans to meet.

James Brokenshire: Details of the group, its purpose, and membership have already been published on GOV.UK. The Home Secretary updated the House on 16 September on the work of the group.

Refugees: Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the 20,000 Syrian refugees that will be admitted to the UK that will be settled in the local authority areas of (a) West Oxfordshire, (b) Cheshire East and (c) the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

James Brokenshire: It is not possible at the moment to say how many vulnerable individuals and families will be resettled in specific areas across the UK. Our existing policy, based on the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 drawn up by the last Labour Government, is aimed at ensuring that asylum seekers and refugees are dispersed across the country so that no individual local authority bears a disproportionate share of the burden. We are working closely with a wide range of partners, including local authorities and civil society organisations, to ensure that this remains the case.

Members: Correspondence

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Wigan of 13 July 2015 and 2 September 2015 on Serco and asylum seekers in the North West.

James Brokenshire: I replied to the Honourable Lady's letters on 18 September 2015.

Refugees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have been accommodated in each local authority in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland under the Gateway scheme in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: From 2010 up to 30 June this year, 3,822 refugees have been accommodated by 14 local authorities under the Gateway Protection Programme. All 14 local authorities are in England. A further 22 refugees have been resettled with their relatives and were not accommodated by any local authority.It would not be appropriate for us to release details of where individuals are currently being placed or where they may be placed in the future, as this may undermine their privacy.

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on when former Metropolitan Police officer Gurpal Virdi was authorised to drive a police vehicle.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on when police officers are authorised to drive police vehicles. This information is held by individual police forces.

Asylum: Children

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children was provided to each local authority and gateway authority in the last financial year.

James Brokenshire: For the year 2014-15, £76.2m of funding was distributed to the following local authorities and gateway authorities, to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children:  UASC Payments 2014/15   Local AuthorityTotal Payments  Derby City Council60,492Derbyshire County Council96,767Leicester City Council160,917Leicestershire County Council354,023Lincolnshire County Council649,455Northamptonshire County Council2,403,486Nottingham City Council211,457Nottinghamshire County Council651,265Rutland County Council154,922Bedfordshire County Council306,585Bedford Borough327,471Cambridgeshire County Council319,325Essex County Council1,782,602Hertfordshire County Council1,177,796Luton Borough Council268,203Norfolk County Council182,759Peterborough City Council194,124Southend on Sea Borough Council19,667Suffolk County Council514,378Thurrock Council830,624London Borough of Barking & Dagenham383,498London Borough of Barnet710,452London Borough of Bexley279,434London Borough of Brent1,034,550London Borough of Bromley415,609London Borough of Camden525,334Corporation of London165,888# London Borough of Croydon17,085,960London Borough of Ealing552,022London Borough of Enfield1,096,646London Borough of Greenwich372,232London Borough of Hackney415,840Hammersmith & Fulham383,850London Borough of Haringey899,597London Borough of Harrow568,975London Borough of Havering357,530# London Borough of Hillingdon3,391,309London Borough of Hounslow831,919London Borough of Islington986,664Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea471,619Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames574,373London Borough of Lambeth303,739London Borough of Lewisham405,180London Borough of Merton394,422London Borough of Newham795,419London Borough of Redbridge529,182London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames356,182London Borough of Southwark353,935London Borough of Sutton262,274London Borough of Tower Hamlets491,800London Borough of Waltham Forest545,062Wandsworth Borough Council420,347Westminster City Council495,821Westminster City Council - LASC187,795Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council125,708Durham County Council51,235Middlesbrough Borough Council12,425North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council7,171Stockton On Tees Borough Council38,550Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council42,603Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council13,277Bury Metropolitan Borough Council71,524Cheshire East Council83,385Cheshire West Council8,662Halton Borough Council88,284Lancashire County Council26,713Liverpool City Council246,616Manchester City Council441,113Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council59,174Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council65,542St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council25,915Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council4,331Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council31,098Warrington Borough Council34,675City of Edinburgh Council62,693Dumfries & Galloway19,312East Ayrshire18,673Glasgow City Council828,741North Lanarkshire Council53,624Bracknell Forest Borough Council58,478Brighton & Hove City Council227,067Buckinghamshire County Council553,882East Sussex County Council167,193Hampshire County Council544,915# Kent County Council11,425,555Medway Council71,725Milton Keynes Council562,002Oxfordshire County Council910,092Portsmouth City Council146,402Reading Borough Council124,184Slough Borough Council301,664Southampton City Council100,958Surrey County Council2,047,557West Berkshire Council237,857West Sussex County Council826,868Windsor & Maidenhead Royal Borough258,656Wokingham District Council7,440Bath & North East Somerset Council0Bath & NE Somerset4,970Bournemouth Borough Council54,173Bristol City Council303,990Devon County Council63,359Gloucestershire County Council126,530North Somerset Council127,819Plymouth City Council108,508Poole Borough Council25,915Somerset County Council108,279South Gloucestershire Council25,915Swindon Borough Council104,512Wiltshire County Council144,556Caerphilly County Borough Council36,068Cardiff Council340,328Carmarthenshire County Council55,123Ceredigion County Council11,857Gwynedd Council6,035Isle of Anglesey County Council37,062Monmouthshire County Council25,418Newport City Council104,874Pembrokeshire County Council45,440Wrexham County Borough Council5,396Birmingham City Council349,898Coventry City Council284,535Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council55,868Shropshire County Council20,803# Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council1,463,111Staffordshire County Council601,701Stoke on Trent City Council110,338Telford & Wrekin Council2,840Warwickshire County Council1,090,893Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council69,509Worcestershire County Council171,195Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council68,089City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council66,882Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council23,217Kingston Upon Hull City Council154,452Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council44,544Leeds City Council372,426North East Lincolnshire Council21,797North Lincolnshire Council88,912North Yorkshire County Council7,384Sheffield City Council195,525Wakefield Metropolitan District Council347,193 76,221,555  # - a Gateway authority.

Drugs: Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to control the sale of legal highs on the internet.

Mike Penning: The Government introduced the Psychoactive Substances Bill before the House on 21 July 2015. This legislation, which makes the sale, import,distribution or manufacture of Psychoactive substances a criminal offence, will apply to both online and offline markets.The National Crime Agency and the police routinely monitor the unlawful sales of psychoactive substances and take robust action to close UK-based websites where they are found to be committing offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Considerable illegal activity also takes place on the internet outside of UK jurisdiction and we will continue to work with international partners to develop an effective response to the supply of controlled drugs and to react swiftly to emerging threats.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Freedom of Information

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many hours his Department spent on processing freedom of information requests in each of the last 24 months.

David Mundell: Processing Freedom of Information requests is an integral part of civil servants' responsibilities. The number of hours spent on this activity is not separately identifiable.

HM Treasury

Financial Services: Disadvantaged

Mr Nick Hurd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to promote financial inclusion and capability.

Harriett Baldwin: The government has taken a number of steps to promote financial inclusion and capability.   Following extensive government negotiations with the banking industry, the nine largest current account providers in the UK have committed to improve basic bank accounts. From January 2016 basic bank accounts will be truly fee-free, allowing people who don’t have a bank account, or who would struggle to get a standard account due to money problems, to manage their money with certainty and clarity.   The Money Advice Service (MAS) is currently coordinating the development of a nationwide Financial Capability Strategy, with partners including representatives from the third sector, the financial services industry, regulators and educators.   Alongside the introduction of the pension freedoms in April 2015, the government committed to providing free, impartial guidance through Pension Wise, to help people make informed and confident decisions about how they use their defined contribution pension savings in retirement.

Economic Situation: Greece

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential fiscal effect on the UK of the government of Greece defaulting on its national debt.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK government has no exposure to Greece through its euro area loans. The Government has secured a deal that protects UK taxpayers from any risk from financing euro area bailouts now and in the future. This deal gives legal force to the commitment secured in 2010 that UK taxpayers would not be drawn into a euro area bailout.   As a shareholder in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UK has an indirect exposure to Greece through the IMF’s overall lending. Our ultimate exposure to any IMF lending programme would be in line with our quota shareholding (around 4.5 per cent).

Refugees: Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what arrangements he is planning for the reallocation of his Department's funding for the resettlement of Syrian refugees within the UK.

Greg Hands: In accordance with OECD directives, the UK’s official development assistance budget will be used to cover support costs for Syrian refugees in the first twelve months of their stay. Funding arrangements to support the resettlement of Syrian refugees in future years will be considered as part of the 2015 spending review.

Treasury: Freedom of Information

Kirsty Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many hours his Department spent on processing freedom of information requests in each of the last 24 months.

Harriett Baldwin: Processing Freedom of Information requests is an integral part of civil servants' responsibilities and so the number of hours spent on this activity is not separately identifiable.

Welfare Tax Credits

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Government employees are in receipt of tax credits.

Damian Hinds: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Gift Aid

Simon Hart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much in Gift Aid was paid out to (a) Cancer Research UK, (b) Oxfam, (c) Greenpeace, (d) RSPCA and (e) RSPB in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Damian Hinds: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for administering Gift Aid.   HMRC has a statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality and cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers.   HMRC publishes national statistics showing the total cost of Gift Aid and other charitable tax reliefs https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/charitable-donations-and-tax-reliefs-statistics

Department for Energy and Climate Change

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government strongly supports reform to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Ministers and officials have discussed EU ETS reform recently with counterparts in other Member States, as well as the European Commission and industry representatives. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will continue these discussions at the forthcoming Green Growth Summit in Brussels, which will be attended by a range of European public and private organisations.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Decommissioning

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will publish a plan to phase out all unabated coal power.

Andrea Leadsom: Coal accounted for 40% of total UK electricity generation in 2012, falling to 29% in 2014. We expect the role of unabated coal generation to decline further as a result of deployment of low carbon alternatives, the cost of generation and the investment needed to meet new pollution abatement standards. The Department’s analysis (central scenario) shows that unabated coal is expected to account for around 1% of total UK generation by 2025.   The Government’s planning policy prevents the building of new coal power plants without carbon capture and storage.   Source: DECC Updated energy and emissions projections 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368021/Updated_energy_and_emissions_projections2014.pdf

Renewable Energy: Public Opinion

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will publish a disaggregation of the figure relating to the popularity of renewable energy amongst the public, with a breakdown of individual renewable energy technologies from her Department's Public Attitudes Tracker - Wave 14 document.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Government Digital Service

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent representations he has received on talent retention in the Government Digital Service.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 15 September 2015



The Government Digital Service (GDS) is helping the public sector deliver better digital services for less and has become a world leader in digital government. We regularly recruit extremely talented people and have detailed retention plans for the brilliant people we need.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Greater London

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to lower the level of air pollution in the area of Oxford Street in London.

Rory Stewart: The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality standards in London. He has set up a Low Emission Zone and has announced the introduction of an Ultra-Low Emission Zone Scheme to ensure that all vehicles driving in the centre of London will be zero or low emission by 2020. A plan to deliver cleaner taxis across London has also been announced to help support London taxi driver’s transition to zero emission capable taxis. Defra’s air quality grant scheme has awarded funding to support the Mayor’s Breathe Better Together public awareness campaign to encourage behaviour change and tackle air pollution. Defra awarded a separate grant to Westminster City Council for on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure.   The Government is currently consulting on plans for how towns and cities can reduce emissions, alongside a national framework that seeks to bring the UK into compliance with limits for nitrogen dioxide in a number of areas by 2020 and in London by 2025.

Dogs: Imports

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the level of imports of puppies to the UK from other EU countries under the pet travel scheme and (b) the adequacy of controls to avoid the use of that scheme to import puppies for sale.

George Eustice: Defra actively shares intelligence relating to abuse of the EU pet travel scheme. Evidence collected by APHA, Local Authorities and welfare organisations has led to investigations in other EU countries.   The UK maintains effective border controls and all the relevant agencies work together to target people who systematically abuse the rules.   The illegal trade is ultimately driven by demand. Defra have published guidance on buying a pet and have worked closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements.

Fracking

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the final version of her Department's report, Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts.

Rory Stewart: The full version of the draft rural economy impacts paper was released on 1 July and is available on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-shale-gas-rural-economy-impacts-paper. The draft paper was intended as a rapid review of existing literature; it is not analytically robust. Work on this paper was discontinued and we have no plans to update it.

Avian Influenza

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many avian influenza outbreaks there have been in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: There were no outbreaks of avian influenza in Great Britain in 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013.   In 2014, there was one case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 in Yorkshire.   In 2015, there have been two cases of avian influenza: one low severity H7N7 case in Hampshire and one highly pathogenic H7N7 case in Lancashire. The two cases were not linked.   There has not been an outbreak of avian influenza in Northern Ireland in the past five years.

Department of Health

Gynaecology: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve patient access to uterine fibroid embolisation.

Jane Ellison: Uterine fibroid embolisation is a treatment that is approved and recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.   A patient diagnosed with uterine fibroids requiring treatment will receive care and advice from their general practitioner (GP) in the first instance. If further treatment is required, the GP will refer the patient to a gynaecologist. It is the responsibility of specialist clinicians within clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to recommend appropriate treatment to treat this condition, and for the CCGs to ensure they commission appropriate services to meet local demand.

Orthopaedics

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of lower limb amputations associated with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease.

Jane Ellison: It is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission the majority of services for people with diabetes. The CCG Outcomes Indicator Set contains a number of indicators which are relevant to the delivery of of diabetes care, including an indicator relating to complications associated with diabetes including emergency admission for lower limb amputation.   The latest National Diabetes Audit (NDA) shows that over 85% of all those with diabetes in England and Wales received a foot examination in 2012/13. A new module of the NDA, the National Diabetes Foot Care Audit, has been launched to establish the extent to which national guidelines on the management of diabetic foot disease are being met. The audit will provide local teams with the evidence needed to tackle identified differences in practice which will lead to an overall improvement in the management and outcomes for patients. Local and national level results will be available in March 2016.   The latest NDA also demonstrates significant reductions in the risk of developing heart failure for individuals with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, significant reductions in mortality for individuals with Type 2 diabetes, as well as trends showing a reduction in the risk for any individual with diabetes of developing angina, heart attack, stroke, major amputation and end-stage kidney disease.   Tackling diabetes is of great concern to this Covernment. Building on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, the Department is developing its plans to improve outcomes for those at risk of and with diabetes. These will be announced in due course.

Aspartame

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has undertaken or commissioned on possible links between aspartame and (a) aggressive behaviour, (b) depression, (c) anxiety and (d) Graves' Disease.

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research and discussions his Department has had with the food industry and relevant professional bodies over the safety of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with the food industry and relevant professional bodies on the safety of (a) aspartame and (b) other artificial sweeteners.

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the safety of aspartame in food and other consumable products.

Jane Ellison: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that all food additives, including sweeteners, are only permitted after a robust evaluation of their safety. The foods in which the sweeteners can be used and their conditions of use are regulated under harmonised European Union legislation on food additives.   The results of an FSA funded study on aspartame were published in March 2015. The study was designed to examine whether self-diagnosed individuals exhibit any reactions which can be observed in a clinical setting, after consuming bars that do or do not contain aspartame. Participants showed no difference in their response whether they contained aspartame or not.   As part of its systematic re-evaluation of all food additives, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) re-evaluated the safety of aspartame and concluded in December 2013 that 'aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure'. In undertaking their re-evaluation EFSA had access to all available, relevant scientific studies and data on aspartame.   Officials in the FSA have regular discussions with industry, and other interested parties, on a range of issues. Since EFSA reaffirmed the safety on the current use of aspartame, these have not routinely included discussions on aspartame or other sweeteners.